Review: Three years on from their last full-length excursion - the fine Borough 2 Borough on Delusions of Grandeur - Craig Smith and The Revenge return with their third 6th Borough Project album. Predictably, it's a fine set, with the duo tweaking their now familiar blueprint - think sample heavy, Balearic-minded deep house built around killer grooves and impeccable production - to guarantee a slightly more eclectic listening experience. So, while there are moments of locked-in dancefloor hypnotism - see "The Weight" and acid-gospel thump of "Tainted Dub" - they're accompanied by trips into wide-eyed, loved-up two-step territory (brilliant closer "Back Where It All Began"), seductive, synth-heavy dreaminess (Paul Joseph hook-up "Find Your Rhythm"), intoxicating downtempo chuggers ("Someday"), and much more besides.
Review: Volume 14 in the series, so regular buyers should know what to expect by now. For the uninitiated through, the 'Playa D'en Bossa' series harks back to an earlier era of 'Balearic', before the term became synonymous with ethereal chill-out grooves, whale song and fluttering Spanish guitars, and when it referred instead to an electic, open-minded approach to programming DJ sets. Accordingly, the 23 tracks here range from house and nu-disco (see cuts from Dis-Connection, Alex Twitchy and Dr Basement) to trance and EDM (see, eg, Tom-E Project's 'Shine' or Little Madam's 'Yeah Uh Uh Ah'), much of it served with a distinct Europop twist, with Joma's 'Space Virus' and Nick Saley's 'Bengal' among the highlights.
Review: Sadly, the music of Winchester is nowhere near as famous as its legendary cathedral (or, in fact, the snooty public school of the same name). That's mainly because Tom Eno seems to be the city's sole producer of note. Over the years, the folksy, organic beatmaker has produced some decidedly tasty cuts, as this belated compilation of tracks and remixes proves. The mood is breezy and summery, touching on accordion-laden flamenco dub (Dusty's remix of "Estrella"), ska-inclined dancefloor jams (Eno's remix of Diego and the Disidents), ultra deep and soulful house (a terrific remix of Bristol beatmaker Benjamin One) and disco-tinged 4/4 funk (a soaring version of Upskiboo's "Running Like This").
Review: Armada Music 20 Years Classics pays homage to dance music's rich history and aims to educate a new generation of fans about the artists who shaped the genre. There's classics galore on this one as you'd expect, with several bangers by label chief Armin Van Burren, in addition to seminal anthems such as Joe Smooth's "Promised Land", Inner City's "Good Life" (remastered), Chez Damier's "Can You Feel It" (New York extended dub) and Olav Basoski's "Waterman" (extended mix), as well as appearances by newer artists like ANOTR, Patrick Topping and Jan Blomquist.
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